Fragments of crashed plane fall on houses in Denver city

In video filmed from inside the ship, which carried 231 passengers and 10 crew, the right engine is on fire on the wing of the Boeing 777-200, as the plane flew over a barren landscape.

“At one point I thought we were going to die because we started to lose height right after the explosion”passenger David Delucia told the Denver Post, AFP reported.

Among the images posted on social media is a photo of a large circular piece of the United Airlines plane in a yard in Broomfield, a suburb of Denver, Colorado.

“Flight UA328 from Denver to Honolulu experienced an engine failure shortly after takeoff, returned safely to Denver, and was greeted by emergency crews as a precaution.”United Airlines said in a statement.

Most of the passengers flew to Honolulu on another flight, while others who did not want to go to Hawaii were accommodated in a hotel.

In a recording of the distress call obtained from the LiveATC website, which broadcasts air traffic communications, the pilot requested emergency clearance to return to Denver.

“We have had engine failures, we have to go back. Mayday, mayday”said the pilot.

Meanwhile, residents of the Broomfield suburbs found large pieces of the plane scattered around their community, including a huge circular piece of metal that landed in a yard.

“He landed on my truck”a neighbor said, reporting that another large piece had made a 1.5 meter diameter hole in the roof of another house.

The Denver Post newspaper published photos taken from the ground showing smoke on the right wing of the plane and reported that crowds have come to Broomfield to observe and photograph the fragments scattered around the city.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was “aware of reports of fragments near the plane’s flight path,” adding that the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the incident.

“If you find any fragments PLEASE do not touch or move them. @NTSB wants all the fragments to remain in place for investigation,” Bloomfield Police tweeted.